Things that have changed since I was in college, as evidenced by what I witnessed of undergrads at university-sponsored concert this weekend:
- Clothes. Whereas I spent 98% of my college days wearing baggy jeans/tshirt/flip flops, college girls on a Friday night these days all seem to wear some variation on the short dress/leggings/tall boots theme. Many of these boots appeared to be of the “fancy expensive leather” variety. A few of the girls actually appeared to be wearing the SAME short dress/leggings/tall boots. This did not appear to be intentional, though I can’t be sure.
- Bras. Black! Lacy! Peeping out from under our too-sheer-to-begin-with tanktops! I suppose we have Sarah Jessica Parker to blame for this. Also: American Apparel.
- Cellphones. Ubiquitous. It seems impossible now, but I went to college in a time before cell phones. I spent a solid 10 minutes imagining about how different the college experience would have been with cell phones. Say you want to leave for a concert half an hour later than your friends. How will you ever find them once you get there? No worries! You can just exchange 47 text messages that cause your screens to light up brightly in the darkened auditorium as you search for each other in the packed house. And then you will find each other, and to celebrate, you can take dozens of cell phone camera pictures! And also squeal loudly! And call each other endearing ridiculous nicknames in shrieky voices! And have an outside-voices conversation in the middle of a ballad! Hm, we appear to have veered off course here. Moving on:
- Handbags. Did you carry a purse in college? I did not. I carried a little billfold thing with a Velcro fastener and an attached keyring. It typically held my school id, the id that proved I was a 21-year-old resident of Alaska, 6 dollars folded into fourths to fit inside it, and my room key. It fit nicely in the pockets of baggy jeans. I suppose that going purse-free is harder in the age of cell phones, but must the purses be so LARGE? And SHINY? And must they bump into me with quite such frequency?
In sum: I am old. Somehow, we have turned into those graduate students I always wondered about/mocked in my head when I was an undergrad. You know the ones: the old people who insist on trying to be part of the school community by showing up at events like concerts and football games? Who ARE those people? Don’t they have a life? Well now I know: no, they do not. And they would like to enjoy their university-subsidized concert in relative peace, free from blaring cell phones, visible undergarments, and torpedo-sized handbags. IS THIS SO MUCH TO ASK?
Oh my, the handbags. I so vividly remember that same wallet with the attached key. What happened to the days when it was cool to look like you weren’t trying so hard? Poor college kids… as you know, I’d be happier without that same shrieking… in my living room.
I think we went to college at the same time! The wallet/keychain, the no cell phones, the workout pants and giant college sweatshirt (although flip flops were only shower shoes for me). Ah. Memories.
I TOTALLY had that keychain/billfold thing! How funny!
Yeah, I went to college in AZ, so I was like the only one who didn’t dress in cute sundresses to class. I wore shorts and t-shirts and flip flops.
What I remember about purses is having a purse in high school. Showing up to college with a purse. Immediately feeling like a totally uncool dweeb because NO ONE in college carried a purse. It was a wallet in the backpack or, if you were going out to a party/etc., your ID and some cash in your jeans pocket.
(Because I went to college in the era of grunge and we all wore jeans, and flannel shirts, and MAYBE a tight-ish bodysuit (hold me) underneath the flannel.)
But purses! Ha! To have a purse would have subjected you to endless ridicule.
Also? Pajama pants.
I put my purse stuff in my bookbag.
I also had the wallet instead of the purse. Now I have a purse but actually I avoid carrying it whenever possible. I’m weird, I know.
I loved my backpack for college. Now if I were in college, I think I’d be rocking one of those messenger bags that have a seatbelt-buckle for a strap.
The shrieking has always happened. Kids these days, huh?
Why would you have a purse in college? I had a small wallet type thingy that I carried in my backpack that I took everywhere.
I am still in denial about leggings coming back. I saw Michael Kors on tv last week and I think his advice was sound: If you wore leggings the first time around, do not wear them this time.
I found myself nodding and saying YES YES YES! to each and every one of these. Especially the cell phone thing. OMG that would have made things so much easier.
Um…
*ahem*
If you’re old, then I am as well, and I am not having that.
And I think I wore jeans occasionally when my warm up pants were dirty.